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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Raleigh, North Carolina » Food Science and Market Quality and Handling Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #329531
Research Project: Improvement and Maintenance of Flavor, Shelf Life, Functional Characteristics, and Biochemical/Bioactive Components in Peanuts, Peanut Products and Related Commodities through Improved Handling, ...

Location: Food Science and Market Quality and Handling Research Unit

Title: Minimizing the negative flavor attributes and evaluating consumer acceptance of chocolate fortified with peanut skin extracts

Author
item Dean, Lisa
item KLEVORN, CLAIRE - North Carolina State University
item HESS, BRIANNA - North Carolina State University

Submitted to: Journal of Food Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/15/2016
Publication Date: 11/1/2016
Citation: Dean, L.L., Klevorn, C.M., Hess, B.J. 2016. Minimizing the negative flavor attributes and evaluating consumer acceptance of chocolate fortified with peanut skin extracts. Journal of Food Science. 81(Nr. 11):S2824-S2830. doi: 10.1111/1750-3841.13533.

Interpretive Summary: Peanut skins are a waste product of the peanut blanching industry. Large quantities are produced which have little or no commercial market. This material is rich in polyphenols have been extracted and used to make a food ingredient powder to increase the antioxidant levels in foods. This study used it to increase the levels in milk chocolate to that of dark chocolate without making the candy bitter. The use of maltodextrin in the creation of the powder decrease the bitter taste of the ingredient.

Technical Abstract: In recent years, there has been increased interest in antioxidant-rich products by consumers wanting to enhance the health benefits of their diet. This has resulted in an increased focus on chocolate as a natural source of antioxidant compounds and the development of polyphenol-enriched chocolate products that are now available commercially. This study investigated the use of phenolic compounds extracted from peanut skins as a novel antioxidant source for the enrichment of milk chocolate. Maltodextrin encapsulation was used to modulate the bitterness of the extracts. The antioxidant potential of the encapsulated peanut skin product was evaluated by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazl radical quenching assay. Encapsulated peanut skins were found to have a corrected Trolox equivalency of 31.1 µmol per gram of chocolate at the maximum inclusion level (0.8 (w/w) %). To produce a product with an antioxidant content similar to that of dark chocolate yet which maintained the milder flavor of milk chocolate, the best estimate threshold of encapsulated peanut skin extract in chocolate was determined and calculated as 0.9 (w/w)% based on standard method ASTM E-679. Consumer liking of milk chocolate enhanced with sub-threshold (0.8 (w/w)%) inclusion levels of encapsulated peanut skin extract was then measured and found to be at parity with a control milk chocolate.